ANAHEIM, CALIF.—July and August usually bring some of the hottest days out of the year for California, and they also happen to be the hottest months for car theft. With California No. 1 in stolen cars in the nation, police are teaming up with car insurance companies to lower the risk of theft.
This month Anaheim Hills Branch of the Auto Club of Southern California (AAA) partnered with the California Highway Patrol and the National Insurance Crime Bureau to provide free Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) etching.
VIN etching permanently engraves a car’s VIN onto its windshield, windows, and sunroof, making it less desirable to steal.
Worst
A study released last month by the National Insurance Crime Bureau found that nearly 180,000 cars were stolen in California in 2013—the highest in the nation—with the No. 2 state, Texas, following far behind with almost 70,000 and Florida in third with almost 40,000.
